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RAMAPO, N.Y. – Ramapo police have announced the
arrest
of a man they say scammed a local woman out of a “large sum of money.”

The 39-year-old man, whose name was not released, is from Reading,
Pa
., and was arrested with aid from authorities from that area, according to Ramapo police.

According to police, the 39-year-old called the Ramapo woman in Mid-November, posed as her grandson and said he had been in a car
accident
out-of-state and had been charged with driving while intoxicated.

After asking the woman for bail money, the man gave her a telephone number for someone he claimed was a “public defender,” according to police, who said the “public defender” then gave the woman instructions on how to complete a money transfer.

Police said that after completing the money transfer, the woman was called a second time and told her grandson needed more money to “cover damages caused in the ‘accident.’”

The woman completed a second transfer, but then became suspicious and reached out directly to her grandson, according to police, who said that she contacted authorities after learning that she had been victimized.

According to Ramapo police, the 39-year-old has been charged with third-degree grand larceny, a felony.

While investigators did not say how much money he’s accused of stealing from the woman, third-degree grand larceny is a charge reserved for someone accused of stealing $3,000 or more, according to New York state law. The next serious charge -- second-degree grand larceny -- is levied against those accused of stealing $50,000 or more.